Red Beans and Rice-Cajun Style

Red Beans and Rice –Southern Living

Stovetop Red Beans and Rice

Southern Living MARCH 2011

Yield: Makes about 10 cups (serving size: about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice)

Total: 2 Hours, 45 Minutes

Ingredients

1 pound dried red kidney beans

1/2 pound Aidells Cajun style Andouille sausage, thinly sliced

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 teaspoons Creole/Cajun seasoning (sodium 65mg per 1/4 tsp)

3 cups uncooked long-grain rice

Garnish: sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; cover, remove from heat, and soak 1 hour. Drain.

2. Sauté sausage and next 3 ingredients in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beans, Creole seasoning, and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Serve with red bean mixture. Garnish, if desired.

Note: We tested with Aidells Organic Fully Cooked Cajun Style Andouille Smoked  Sausage.

Try These Twists!

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice: Omit chicken sausage. Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1. Coarsely chop celery, green bell pepper, onion, and 1 red bell pepper. Sauté chopped vegetables and garlic in 1 Tbsp. hot olive oil 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Stir together vegetables, beans, Creole seasoning, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 vegetable bouillon cube, and 7 cups water in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer as directed. Season with salt to taste. Serve with rice. Makes: 10 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 373; Fat 1.1g (sat .03g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.3g); Protein 15.4g; Carb 74.9g; Fiber 11.6g; Chol 0mg; Iron 5.2mg; Sodium 377mg; Calc 81mg.

Quick Red Beans and Rice: Substitute 2 (16-oz.) cans light kidney beans, drained and rinsed, for dried beans. Reduce Creole seasoning to 2 tsp. Prepare recipe as directed in Step 2, substituting 2 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth for 7 cups water and simmering 20 minutes. Serve with rice. Makes: about 7 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 420; Fat 3.5g (sat 1g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.2g); Protein 19.7g; Carb 76.3g; Fiber 13g; Chol 35mg; Iron 1.1mg; Sodium 490mg; Calc 65mg.

Slow-cooker Red Beans and Rice: Omit Steps 1 and 2. Stir together first 7 ingredients and 7 cups water in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with rice. Makes: about 10 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 397; Fat 2.3g (sat 0.8g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.3g); Protein 18.9g; Carb 74.4g; Fiber 11.3g; Chol 24mg; Iron 5.6mg; Sodium 319mg; Calc 99mg.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 397  Fat: 2.3g  Saturated fat: 0.8g  Monounsaturated fat: 0.2g  Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g  Protein: 18.9g Carbohydrate: 74.4g  Fiber: 11.3g  Cholesterol: 24mg  Iron: 5.6mg  Sodium: 319mg  Calcium: 99mg

Reward Bars

A friend shared this recipe with us, and we love it! You can find the original source here. I make them ahead of time, and then Ben and I have a quick and easy go-to breakfast that keeps us feeling full until lunchtime. Here is the recipe: REWARD BARS *makes 5 bars 1 cup oats 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed Mix all ingredients together. Divide into 5 equal parts and shape into bars (crumbliness goes away when you start to shape into a bar). Store in ziploc bags in the fridge or freezer. For added variety, add in coconut flakes, fruit, chopped nuts, or mini chocolate chips. The great thing about this, is you can use other nut butters and they are so good! I've made the bars with hazelnut butter, almond butter, pecan butter and cashew butter. These butters are expensive in the stores, but you can make them yourself by grinding them in a food processor for about 5-10 minutes. That way, you can also control how much, if any, oil you want to add, which decreases the amount of calories. So, so yummy! Enjoy!